Former athlete and FSB agent sentenced to 15 years for espionage
A former athlete-turned-FSB agent has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for spying on Russia’s behalf in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine’s SBU security service reported via Telegram on Nov. 17.
According to the SBU, the perpetrator was identified as a local track and field coach. He was surveilling locations of Ukrainian troops and their movement routes. During his runs, he covertly carried out photo and video recording, using a camera on his mobile phone which he strapped to his arm.
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Among the runner’s primary tasks was to relay locations of heavy Ukrainian weaponry and ammunition depots. Additionally, the Russian agent developed a topographic map for the invaders, marking the coordinates of Ukrainian checkpoints along the region's main roads.
The intelligence was necessary for the Russian military to plan air strikes and possible sabotage operations. SBU’s counterintelligence operatives apprehended the traitor while he was covertly photographing a local railway facility.
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The court sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. The investigation found that the 55-year-old coach had been remotely recruited by FSB in March 2022.
He became a target for recruitment as a former graduate of Leningrad military academy, where he studied during the Soviet era, and subsequently served in the Russian Taman Division until 1992. Later, he left military service and moved to Ukraine.
For each completed task, the offender received financial rewards from Russia, which were transferred to his bank card.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
